User`s guide

off the Binary II prefix during transfer. GS-ShrinkIt and 8-bit ShrinkIt will
remove a Binary II prefix from .shk, etc. ShrinkIt files.)
The file may be okay but incorrectly named. For example, an .sys or .bin
file may be shrinked but still uploaded as an ".sys" or ".bin" file (instead of
".shk"). Or, an .shk file may be uploaded in binscii form as an ".shk" file.
(Such a file should end with ".bsq".) When a downloaded .shk or .sdk file is
rejected by ShrinkIt, it's a good idea to try running it through Binscii or
GScii. Sometimes the result will be a genuine .shk or .sdk file.
Other kinds of files are just misunderstood. A user who downloads a 'disk
image' file named NarfGame.dsk.gz" may conclude it is "corrupted" when it is
rejected by an emulator program or fails to convert to diskette with DSK2FILE or
ASIMOV. But, all that's required is to decompress the .gz file using WinZIP or
similar utility to produce a true .dsk disk image file.
A source of possible confusion for IIgs users is the occasional .shk or
.sdk file which looks fine but is rejected as damaged by GS-ShrinkIt. The
problem may be that the file was created by a Mac owner. Sometimes these Mac-
created Shrink files unShrink fine using GS-ShrinkIt; sometimes, not. Before
trashing a "damaged" .shk or .sdk IIgs file, try running it through Balloon.
______________________________
From: Greg J. Buchner
Balloon is a IIGS desk accessory that was put out by Ego Systems...it
handles ShrinkIt archives from anywhere you can access a New Desk Accessory on
the IIGS. For the Mac, you'd use Shrink II.
______________________________
From: Rubywand
003- Are there any kinds of files I should process on the
PC (or Mac) before transfer to my Apple II?
Yes. Many old games and other interesting wares downloaded from "emulator"
sites like Asimov will arrive as .gz files. These will, almost always, be
compressed 5.25" disk image (DSK) files. They should be un-compressed on the PC
via WinZIP before being sent to your Apple II. This avoids a messy de-
compression process on the Apple and makes the DSK file available on the PC (or
Mac) should you wish to use it with AppleWin or some other A2 emulator program.
Note: If you are running an FTP program under plain DOS or Windows 3.x, long
file names will be truncated to fit PC's old "8 and 3" format. A .gz file may
not show up in your C:\UPDOWN (or whatever) directory with the ".gz" suffix. It
is still a .gz file and will not be useful as a disk image (DSK) file until it
is uncompressed. The usual size of a 5.25" disk image file is about 143kB.
Other chores you will want to handle on the PC before sending a file to
your Apple II include converting .HTM (HTML) files to text and splitting up very
large Text files. Similarly, it will be easier to view, process, and convert
most large graphics files on the PC.